This morning I saw a scientist laying out why it is necessary to always cite your sources, credit those who have helped you. And I had to think about my experience in learning, then teaching weaving.
First of all, weaving has a history as old as humans. We did not arise this century (or last) re-inventing the technology/craft of weaving. We are building on what our ancestors have done.
Someone asked me how long I ‘credited’ the person from whom I learned a specific technique. Startled, I answered “forever”. Because once I learn it, it doesn’t become ‘mine’. I learned it from someone else, and that is part of my history. And I believe that we are the sum of all of our teachers, our ancestors, who paved the way, then shared their knowledge with succeeding generations.
As individuals, we are just blips in time. We hold knowledge, passed on to us, and our ‘job’ (if you like) is to hold that knowledge safe and share it with new weavers. We keep the line of knowledge safe in our hands, our minds, our hearts.
But that knowledge is not ‘ours’. It is our history. And our future. And we nurture it in our present. We do that by using it. Sharing it. Making sure that it does not evaporate with us, but continues onwards.
This is a responsibility that I choose to accept. Not everyone is a teacher. Not everyone wants to *be* a teacher. Not everyone has to *be* a teacher. But some of us take that responsibility seriously. Some of us teach for ‘free’. Some of us would appreciate getting some kind of recompense (no one lives in this society completely for ‘free’ – we have bills to pay, too). Some of us do both.
But I never forget to share who my ‘ancestors’ were. The people from whom I learned specific techniques. I may have tweaked them slightly to better suit my needs, but some of the things I learned were transformative, and I remember them and credit them with sharing their knowledge with me.
Weaving is, to all intents and purposes, a community in the 21st century. Communities fare better when we co-operate with each other. Support each other. Teach and learn with each other.
I am constantly learning, sometimes daily. Sometimes it is a particular technique. Sometimes it is a slight tweak. Sometimes it is a change in attitude. But I am part of this community, and I would like to see weaving as a craft continue. Since I can teach, I do, the best I can.
But we stand on the shoulders of giants. And I will not forget whose shoulders I stand on.
Photo: My hand using the technique learned from Norman Kennedy.
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